Hania Travel Guide: Travel and tourist information, things to do and see in Hania

Built on the site of an ancient Minoan city and the capital of Crete until the 1970s, Hania (also known as Chania) is a beautiful port town on the NW coast of Crete, with an atmosphere reflecting its Venetian and Turkish past. Hania, in addition to the long row of beach resorts stretching 20km W along the beaches of the Chania bay, form a popular tourist area (especially with Scandanavians). The area is popular for sightseeing and shopping and has plenty of opportunities for eating and drinking on Greek tavernas and modern cafés that are open throughout the night and into the early hours.

The old town is centered around the harbour, it is consists of a plethora of alleys and houses that have been standing for hundreds of years. The Old town is full of souvenir, art and crafts shops; the new quarters house the regular span of shops, here you can find the most of your needs for the hiking or other adventures. The beaches begin in the city a bit away but not far from the old town. Nearest one is Nea Hora, at 1 km. walk from the west end of the Old Town.

The area suits most holiday groups and ages, particularly those seeking a genuine experience of the Cretan way of life and its extensive history as well as relaxation, superb scenery, sun and sea. Hania is a good base from which to undertake private travel with hire car or other means of self arranged transport.

Accommodation offers a wide choice of hotels, with the larger cross-section of hotels and self-catering apartments found in the resort areas outside and mainly W of town.

For those interested in the beaches, there a few small sandy bays just W of the town centre together with long stretches of sand and pebble running for many miles. These beaches generally offer good bathing and are easily reached by the coastal bus service. Hotels and apartment blocks have their own sunbeds and parasols, and usually a snack bar which is open to the public. A few hotels offer low-key water sports such as pedalloes and windsurfing.

Shopping options consist of a good number of small supermarkets and food stores as well as the main municipal market hall and an old Turkish marketplace, both offering a wide range of goods including local produce. Halidon Street is home to the more touristy shops, while the larger hotels offer quality jewellery and clothing.

Daytime entertainment generally consists of exploring the town, including naval and archaeological museums, city archives, mosques, Greek Orthodox churches and old Venetian ramparts and arsenals; walking in the public gardens or around the harbour to the lighthouse; beach, swimming and water sports (windsurfing, sailing, water-skiing) in the villages W of town; tennis; hiking; cycling; water park. During the evening there are a few discos, bars and many restaurants with live music, the liveliest area being around the harbour front. There are a couple of cinemas and an open-air theatre also on offer.

Things to do and see around Hania include:

Akrotiri Peninsula to see the tomb of famous Cretan leader Eleftherios Venizelos and numerous interesting monasteries
Allied war cemetery at Souda Bay
Samaria Gorge ancient Minoan palace of Knossos and Heraklion archaeological museum
Lassithi Plateau with its traditional villages and windmills; E Crete, including charming resort of Aghios Nikolaos and Venetian fortress at Spinalonga.

Suggest a change to the Hania Things to do section (click to dropdown)

Population: 10.668.400
Languages: Greek 99% (official), English, French
Currency: euro
Currency code: EUR
Local Times:
Greece - Athens

Country Dialling Code: +30
Voltage: 220V 50Hz
Electrical plugs:
2 Parallel circular prongs

2 parallel circular prongs with an earth connector

2 parallel circular prongs with a female earth connector

'Schuko' type with two earth connectors on the sides

Greece appeals to different types of tourist, and very few could fail to find somewhere to suit their taste. From bustling Athens to blindingly bright islands, ancient fragments abound - the belly button of the cosmos at Delphi, fallen columns galore on the sacred island of Delos, frescoed Minoan palaces on Crete and even, quite possibly, the remnants of Atlantis at Santorini. Greeks are fierce guardians of tradition, but that doesn't mean they don't know how to have fun. In addition, hot sun and limpid seas conspire to make Greece a perfect place to relax. Whether you're supping in a beachside taverna , sipping coffee in a shady plateia or disco-dancing till dawn.

Once upon a time, the Olympic Games started here along with democracy and the foundation of philosophy, science and mathematics. Nowadays the country attracts its tourists with simple pleasures: delicious food at reasonable prices, local wine, beautiful beaches, sunshine, quaint villages, a seemingly endless lacework of coastline and little islands full of scenic wonders.

The country exudes traditional charm, particularly on its ever-popular islands, which cling to their stereotypical architecture and way of life despite being often over-run by tourists. Black-clad women still deliver vegetables to island tavernas on panniered donkeys, while bronzed, lined fishermen sit in the sun, drink thick coffee, and play dominoes or dice. The tourist infrastructure has intruded in many respects, but the timeless aspect of whitewashed buildings clustered on hillsides around narrow pebbled alleys has been retained. The myriad islands in the Aegean Sea are easily accessible from Piraeus, the historic harbour of Greece's mainland capital, Athens, by ferry or hydrofoil, offering a unique chance for 'island-hopping'. Many of the larger islands also have airports with connections to Athens or seasonally with major European cities.

In the S of the mainland, the capital Athens suffers from being overcrowded and polluted but nevertheless intrigues and delights visitors and is dominated by its major landmark, the Parthenon. In contrast, Thessaloniki in the N is vibrant and modern with a Byzantine flavour. The remains of Greece's past and wonders are mainly found on the Peloponnese Peninsula, S of Corinth.

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